Street Talk provides psychotherapy to women trapped in street prostitution, survivors of trafficking and other vulnerable women. Our aim is to enable women who have suffered abuse, exploitation and trauma to encounter their own humanity and once again feel entitled to live in safety and with dignity. We listen to each woman's personal story and work with each woman to enable her to overcome the particular obstacles which keep her trapped in a life of exploitation.
Why the community need us
The women Street Talk work with typically have no other access to mental health care. They are excluded from conventional practice due to issues such as homelessness, addiction, poor self-
advocacy, or learning difficulty, despite poor mental health being at the root of many of these issues. They have all suffered trauma and abuse and some have been left dehumanised by their experiences and even believe that they deserve to be hurt.
Street Talk aims to break those cycles of abuse and trauma. Our therapeutic services create positive relationships where a woman can encounter her own humanity, learn to manage her past trauma in more positive ways and feel entitled to live in safety and with dignity, free from further abuse.
Our impact on the community
Over the 15 years since establishment, Street Talk has developed a unique clinical model specifically adapted to be as inclusive as possible, which has allowed our therapists to successfully engage with hundreds of women who are considered hard to reach.
We’ve helped women exit prostitution, recover from addiction, get off the streets and into independent accommodation and regain parental responsibility for children who had been taken into the state care system but these outcomes take time. We believe that the first step towards any of these outcomes is always to rebuild self-esteem.
